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E-Reserve FAQ

What are e-reserves?
What material is appropriate for the e-reserve service?
How do I submit reserve materials for e-reserves?
Can I submit my requests over the web?
How do my students access the e-reserve readings online?
How is copyright clearance handled?
How can I incorporate my e-reserve readings into Illinois Compass?
How long will it take to process my e-reserve readings?
When will my reserve materials become available online?
Can I drop off material for e-reserves at any point in the semester?
Can I carry material over from one semester to another?
Can I reactivate e-reserves from a previous semester?
What happens to the print copies I bring in for processing?
Who should I contact if I or my students are having difficulties or questions?

What are e-reserves?

• Electronic reserves, or e-reserves, are course reserve readings that are made accessible electronically, either by linking to existing digital versions of the content or by scanning print materials and making them accessible as .pdf files.
• Research indicates that students read more of the assigned material if the readings are available online.
• E-reserves are searchable through the library online catalog by course or instructor, and are accessible from any UIUC terminal, through the proxy server, or from any connection after verification of UIUC network ID and password.
• Students can view and/or print the material 24 hours a day from any Internet-connected computer, eliminating the need for multiple print copies and accommodating differing study habits.
• Faculty and instructors can reuse material from semester to semester and for multiple courses more easily than was ever possible in the print reserve environment.

What material is appropriate for the e-reserve service?

• Course reserve materials such as journal articles, book chapters, lecture notes and exams are now automatically processed as e-reserves rather than placed on reserve in print. Lengthy works, such as complete books, are not generally placed on electronic reserves. If there is any question as to the suitability of the material you would like to put online, please feel free to call the Information Processing and Management staff at 244-3773 or email us at ipm@library.illinois.edu.

How do I submit reserve materials for e-reserves?

• Forms and accompanying photocopies for e-reserve can be dropped off only at the Undergraduate Library or Central Circulation (Main Library).
• If you would like to mail in the forms and photocopies they can be sent directly to: IPM, Main Library, MC-522. 
• You can also use our new webform to submit requests for materials available online and/or materials that have previously been processed as e-reserves.
• Please submit readings as early as possible, as material is processed in a first-in first-out manner. It is never too early for us to start processing e-reserves for subsequent semesters. We typically receive the majority of requests around the beginning of the semester, which creates a massive backlog, so we greatly appreciate early submissions.
• If you are requesting that print materials be processed as electronic reserves, you will need to provide the photocopy, as we do not have sufficient staff and receive too many requests to offer photocopying as a service. One clean copy is necessary for each reading. Alternately, if you know the material is already available in electronic format publicly on the Internet or through one of the library's subscription full-text databases, you can send us through the webform or email (ipm@library.illinois.edu) the URL or citation information including database and we can link to the pre-existing electronic copy.
• Please provide your full name, e-mail address, campus address, and course and term information on the E-Reserve Request Form (webform, pdf, or Word) or syllabus. All e-reserve materials will be linked to your full name and course on the website. Also, it is very important that we be able to contact you about your material in case a question or problem arises. If your course is team-taught and you would like materials to be cross-posted, please provide the names of all instructors.
• If you prefer, you may submit a copy of your syllabus instead of filling out the bibliographic portion of the E-Reserve Request Form, as long as the syllabus includes all of the pertinent information.
• If you have lecture notes, exams, or other material already an electronic format such as a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint presentation, you can send us the file as an attachment and we can use those directly instead of scanning a photocopy.
• If you submit photocopies for electronic reserve, it is with the understanding that students are not simultaneously required to buy a course packet of these same materials. If the course packet is an optional purchase, however, you are welcome to submit the material for electronic reserve.
• In certain cases, when the library determines that the material being placed on reserve exceeds fair use guidelines, we must apply to the publisher for electronic copyright permission. This is not something that you need to worry about when you submit your materials. However, sometimes a publisher will deny electronic copyright permission (fortunately, this is relatively rare). If this happens, we will notify you and work with you to meet your instructional needs.

Can I submit my requests over the web?

• You can also use our new webform to submit requests for materials available online and/or materials that have previously been processed as e-reserves.
• However, webforms cannot be used when submitting physical materials (photocopies for electronic reserve, or personal copies for book or media reserve.) Please submit photocopies or personal copies at the Undergrad Library or Central Circulation (Main Library), using the appropriate PDF or MS Word request form.  (The Undergrad Library and Central Circulation desks have reserve request forms printed out for your convenience.)

How do my students access the e-reserve readings online?

• You and your students may access e-reserves via the Online Library Catalog or directly. In both cases the material is accessed by course and instructor. If accessed directly, the list retrieved does not include any print materials such as full-length books you may have also placed on reserve.
• E-reserves can be printed either inside or outside of the library.

• If printed within the UIUC library sytem, payments may be made either at one of the Library cash printing locations or charged directly (online) to your student or faculty account.

• For a complete explanation of how to access e-reserve materials, please see our Online Tutorial.

How is copyright clearance handled?

• Copyright clearance is taken care of by Information Processing & Management staff for any items we identify that exceed fair use. It is the responsibility of the faculty/instructor to provide clear and complete bibliographic information for each item placed on reserve to facilitate this process. We use that information to determine whether or not we own the source material, to purchase the source if not owned, and to request copyright clearance if required. Should copyright clearance be denied, or if the fee is unreasonable, we will take down the e-reserve item in question, and notify you that we have done so, though this is rare. The official library e-reserve guidelines as pertaining to copyright are available on the library administration website.

How can I incorporate my e-reserve readings into Illinois Compass?

• We can provide you with a simple link to the readings we have processed
  (ex. http://www.library.illinois.edu/ereserves/item.asp?id=####) to incorporate your e-reserve list into Illinois Compass.
• If you are using Illinois Compass for your course there are several options for how to incorporate e-reserve materials. The simplest way is for us to provide you with the static URL for the combined list of all the e-reserve materials we have processed for that course and you can add a link to the course resources which will take your students to that online list of readings which are then individually accessible (sample above). The other option is for you to use that list and all of the individual links contained within it to add links to individual readings on your course syllabus or within different learning modules. Please note that all material is taken down at the end of each semester due to copyright concerns, and therefore there may be periods of time where the static URL provided is not functional. If you are linking directly to individual readings you must use the link to the bibliographic information page rather than linking directly to the .pdf file, as the .pdf file locations are subject to change. Material will remain accessible as long as we have a course/instructor currently linked, so please remember to notify us from semester to semester if you want the material carried over to the following semester, otherwise it will be taken down.

How long will it take to process my e-reserve readings?

• The amount of time required to process electronic reserves varies according to the time of semester. If you have reserve readings that need to be accessible on the first day of class, please give us at least three weeks before the start of the semester as that is our busiest period. If you have reserves to be processed throughout the semester we can usually process them within one or two business days provided we are already through the beginning of the semester rush. It is never too early to give us new reserve processing for the next upcoming semester or to notify us to carry over material from a previous semester.

When will my reserve materials become available online?

• You will receive an email letting you know when each submission has been processed.
• However, E-reserves are not accessible until shortly before the term begins. Fall and Spring semester reserve material will be accessible online beginning 1 week before the first day of classes; Summer semester reserve material will be accessible online beginning on the first day of classes.
• Even before the list becomes active for the term, the link below will allow you to see your list of e-reserves. However, you will not be able to view the individual items until the list becomes active.
  http://www.library.illinois.edu/ereserves/coursecount.asp
  This list includes the number of times that each item has been accessed since the beginning of the fiscal year as well as giving the direct URL link for each item.

Can I drop off material for e-reserves at any point in the semester?

• Yes, we will gladly process electronic reserve material throughout the semester. In fact, as the semester progresses the amount of time required to process the material is significantly reduced.

Can I carry material over from one semester to another?

• Yes, you can easily carry over material on electronic reserve from semester to semester, it is simply a matter of notifying us that you want the material relinked for the following semester. You should receive an email from us within the last six weeks of each semester asking if you want material carried over or taken down at the end of the semester. Please note that all readings are unavailable during intersessions due to copyright concerns.

Can I reactivate e-reserves from a previous semester?

• Yes, the easiest way to reactivate previous e-reserves is the webform.  You can also email us at ipm@library.illinois.edu to reactivate e-reserves.  In your email, please specify the course, instructor, and semester that the e-reserves were previously on, as well as the course(s), instructor(s), and semester that you wish them reactivated. 

What happens to the print copies I bring in for processing?

• All photocopies will be shipped back to your departmental office approximately two weeks after we finish processing them. Please contact us at ipm@library.illinois.edu if you need special arrangements for return of print copies.

Who should I contact if I or my students are having difficulties or questions?

• If you or your students are having any technical problems, please check out our E-reserve quick problem solving guide, as it covers most of the common problems. If your question isn't answered or you need further clarification please feel free to contact the Information Processing and Management staff at ipm@library.illinois.edu or 244-3773. As a general rule please refrain from contacting individual staff members, as they may not be best equipped to answer your question and may not get your message for several days if they are out of the office.

For comments on this page contact: Mary Laskowski

Last modified by: B A Davis-Howe on 12/12/11